Composed in 1980,[2] it is based on his experiences, in his youth, of playing the piano for women's clubs, and being fed absurd and unappetizing cuisine, including foods resembling Jello salad.

An accomplished classical composer and winner of the Pulitzer Prize for Music, Bolcom has written a number of cabaret songs which he has recorded with Morris on a series of 25 albums.

The song's humor centers on the ingredients of the title dish—lime-flavored Jell-O, marshmallows and cottage cheese—which, it is implied, are a combination of incompatible sweet and savory foodstuffs, but could actually make up a type of jello salad.

The concoction also theoretically includes "slices of pimento (you won't believe your eyes)", pineapple, mayonnaise, and vanilla wafers—all of which poke fun of something akin to a seafoam salad.

[6] The role of "feminized food production" in Bolcom's song has been compared with the assessment of Jell-O dishes in writings by cultural critics such as Roland Barthes, James Lileks and Wendy Wall, who link the popularity of jelly-based cuisine with gender identity and consumerism.